Grim ole opry

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Singing the sad song of Nashville, Tennessee, the Music City that gained the world and lost its soul

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — nicknamed Music City USA, regarded as the heart and soul of American music. It was immortalised and lionised in the recently re-released Robert Altman movie, Nashville, and has an enduring romantic pull. It is also the nerve centre of a billion-dollar industry, much of which means zero outside the States. British musicians and songwriters visit regularly, often coming home chastened by the city’s brutal lack of artistry, and confused by the gap between myth and reality.

What is regarded as Nashville’s golden age was surprisingly brief. The Grand Ole Opry, around which much of the Nashville myth